puppet strings and clockwork hearts
by vicwithacam
Summary: Marble Hornets fanfiction that takes place in the 1800s, trying my hand at au fictions.Fluff but also gore in this fiction making it rated T.Blasky-Brian/masky
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Meeting the Masked Man

Brian hadn't been born into a rich family, not in the least in fact he had been born to a homeless couple living on the outskirts of town in England; 1851. His mum and father begged for money so that they would have enough to pay for all three of them to eat but after 3 months and hardly anything to eat the young homeless family had to go through some drastic measures to save themselves.

His mum went to the traveling freak show and offered her own son who was just a baby still to be a stage hand to help clean up after the animals and performers after the shows were completed. In her own way she hoped it save her wonderful son who was fairly ill from lack of food. The circus had kindly taken in the child for a few golden coins and began to raise him as their own.

As Brian began to grow up his job in the circus became more complex. When he was 3 he sold the tickets in the town with the other performers but at the age of 5 years he began to pick pocket the wealthy that got in to watch the show whenever it came in to town as well as help with the animals and stage hands get ready for the next show. He had loved his job and circus family for 24 years until _he_ arrived and changed his view on things…

It had been a rainy October afternoon when a group of young men came to the circus holding a masked person by his collar. He was growling frustratingly as he tried to claw at the arm behind him but it did not help, he received a punch right in the middle of the make shift mask making him yelp in pain. His dirty fingers went to his mask to make sure that it was not damaged from the impact of the fist when he found it was fine he went right back to growling at his captors.

"Boy! Grab your master an' tell 'im I've got him a new animal for 'is little circus." One of the men said loudly towards Brian who was staring at the masked man curiously. The masked man immediately stopped growling to stare at Brian as well, head tilting slightly before watching the dirty young man run off to tell the circus conductor that they had visitors.

The circus conductor came out of his tent before telling Brian to go to his own tent while he conducted business with the young group. Brian nodded and walked towards his own tent silently before looking at the masked man once more who was right back to growling and clawing at the man still holding on his dirty clothes keeping him in one place so he couldn't run away.

An hour later the circus conductor came into Brian's tent and smiled. "It seems we have a new performer in our lovely little circus, Brian. Please see him to his cage. He is chained up outside." The conductor ordered. Brian had been lying in his bed but as soon as orders were given he got up quickly so that he wouldn't get a lashing for hesitating. He did pause once to look back at his master before asking softly.

"'e's 'uman isn't 'e?" Brian asked, he didn't think locking up someone in a cage was a good thing to do at all, especially someone as…neat as the masked man he had seen earlier that day. The circus conductor turned and gave Brian a hard look telling him right off that there was no questioning what his orders were. Brian quickly left the tent and went to the masked man tied up to a pole, soaked to the bone.

The proxy shivered, back facing Brian as he sat down on the muddy puddle that had once been a grassy field. His head lowered in defeat, surely if he didn't understand what was going on he surely could feel that it was something bad. Brian slowly walked towards him and jumped as the masked being faced him, growling lowly before seeing who it was, he lowered his head slightly almost as if telling him not to come to close as he got on all fours and crawled a few paces away and sitting down again. He was now facing Brian's way keeping an eye on him before lying on his stomach. One arm over lapped the other and he rested his head on the two arms getting as comfortable as he could before just staring at the young man quietly.

"Not gonna hurt ya." Brian said slowly walking towards the masked man as though he was a wild animal. The masked man only raised his head an inch or two from his arms to show he was aware of the humans' movement. Brian jumped slightly fearful that the masked being would try to attack him only to have him get up on all fours and nuzzling into Brian's pant legs very cat like, he even heard soft almost purring. "Uhh…good boy?" Brian said sounding confused as the masked man sat by his leg, resting his head on his pant leg quietly almost loyally. Brain slowly reached down and patted the masked man's head before slowly moving away to grab the chain and lead him towards the cage. "Come on…gotta show ya to yer new 'ome." Brian sounded happy and began leading the way, the masked man tilted his head before getting on his two feet and began following after him, even when they got in the cage he just laid down. Brian went to leave ad close the cage before hearing a small whimper from the little guy causing Brian's heart to melt slightly for some reason.

"Wha?" Brian asked not expecting a human answer, possibly a whine or whimper to ask him to come back and sit down in the cage with him for a few minutes but what happened the next second surprised him.

The masked man stared silently before looking down at the straw underneath him, his dirty fingers slowly made a fist filled with the soft straw before looking at Brian. "Stay with…just for little." He finally said before chirping amused by the look on Brian's face when he realized he could speak, he was more human than he thought and suddenly a feel of guilt for imprisoning a human that appeared more animalistic then he really was. Brian slowly nodded before going up the small steps to the cage and walking in. He sat on the straw beside him watching as the masked man slowly got up on all fours again, crawling over to him before lying down beside him, and resting his head on his lap causing a small squeak from Brian before he moved his hand hesitantly to the masked man's hair, petting him.

Brian pet him absently for a while before looking down at the softly purring young being and smiled a little. He wasn't sure how much he understood. For all Brian knew he knew very little or he could understand everything anyone normal said. He might as well try to make conversation with him. "So…wha's yer name?" Brian asked, the masked man looked at him.

"Am called Dakota..." He said before nuzzling him lovingly "Who are?"

"'m Brian." Brian replied with a smile before hugging onto the soaked being seeing him shiver from the cold and rain. Dakota purred happily before nuzzling him again and chirping.

"Like Brian, nice much…" Dakota murmured "Don't hurt Dakota like others."

Brian frowned slightly, he didn't see why anyone would want to hurt him, and he seemed like a nice animalistic being. He didn't seem to want to attack anyone considering that he was being so tame towards Brian. He didn't know what to do, he did know that he didn't like thinking about the little proxy getting hurt. He knew if they stayed here to long things would get worse but maybe he could talk to the circus conductor and ask him not to hurt him or maybe even ask for his freedom to leave and Brian would pay for it with some of the pick pocket money he kept for himself.

He hugged him closer before looking outside the cage quietly "I'll see wha' I can do Dakota."

"Sound pretty when say name." Dakota said contently looking up at Brian from the spot on Brian's lap and chirped causing a small chuckle from Brian's throat before he leaned down and hesitantly nuzzled him.

"Dakota, Dakota, Dakota." He said playfully, resting his head on the mask's forehead hearing more purring as the being hugged him back and moved his face away, hiding his masked face shyly in Brian's shirt but Brian seemed worried that the shivering from Dakota was getting worse. "Ya cold?" Dakota only responded with a small nod but never lifted his head away from Brian's dirty torn up shirt of the lower class until Brian slowly got up "I'll bring ya some blankets."

Brian ran to his tent trying his best not to bump into anyone as he did; when he finally made it inside his warm tent he quickly went to the bed, smiling as he got his nicest blanket before running back outside in the rain. He ran as fast as he could through the rain trying not to get the blanket wet and the whole kind gesture be ruined. He got to the cage finding that he had left the cage door open and Dakota was gone…

Brian dropped his blanket on the wet ground filled with fear of getting punished for letting the new attraction of their show go but he also felt almost happiness from it knowing that now Dakota wouldn't get hurt. He knew to get a lesser punishment he did have to tell his master that Dakota had escaped seeing as getting kicked to the ground and yelled at was a lot nicer a punishment in Brian's eyes then 30 lashings.

He informed the staff immediately they decided to give him lashings as a punishment, making Brian's back face them and put his head down so the whip wouldn't hurt his neck. CRACK went the whip as it hit the pale flash of Brian, tearing his dirty shirt open again. Blood made the almost white skin red with blood and Brian cry out in pain but he didn't regret his mistake of leaving the cage door open. They were on the 10th strike when Brian heard growling then screams of fear from behind him. He didn't look behind him to fearful to look behind him but soon he didn't have to as the now bloodied hands of Dakota were wrapped around him.

"Saved." Dakota said happily as Brian relaxed in his arms despite the blood before looking behind them at the staff members lying on the ground with bloody claw marks down their skin.

"Di' you kill um?" Brian asked fearfully no longer sure what would happen to Dakota or him for that matter if they were and the police found the bodies but his mind was put at ease when Dakota shook his head. Brian let out a yelp of pain as surprise as he felt something warm and wet go up slowly, gently up his cut open skin. The warm tongue made him shiver before he curiously tried to look back and see what Dakota looked like underneath the mask only to receive a small growl of warning though for some reason brian knew Dakota wouldn't hurt him. "Jus' wanna see wha' you look like." Brian said with a pleading tone.

"Is not me… am not person under mask anymore. Used be Tim am now Dakota, need wear mask show Tim dead." Dakota explained and nuzzled Brian who looked a little confused but just nodded a little. When Dakota was finished licking his wounds clean he let go of him to put his mask back in place then crawl in front of Brian and look at his tear stained face before cuddling up to his new friend "Let's run away…can find way get 't like see Brian hurt."

"Ya only just met me. 'Ow can ya say tha'? Ya hardly even know me Dakota." Brian replied.

"Am not sure just knows likes Brian much and want see happy. Want be with Brian…l-" he paused trying to figure out what that word was he heard once or twice by normal humans then he chirped when he figured it out "Loves."

Brian blinked slightly, looking at them before nodding slightly in understanding. Right now he thought loving someone so quickly was impossible though he liked Dakota's company . He nuzzled him, thinking that maybe within time they might love them back. "We can run away. N' like there's a reason ta stay." He got up and walked with him towards the woods with him to hide from the circus for a while until they left the town.


	2. Chapter 2

Brian stumbled around blindly in the fog that filled the forest; he found it strange how it was completely clear out in the outskirts of town but suddenly the fog was as thick as a white blanket near their face making his vision horrid. He felt his way to a tree and breathed in the cold thick air before calling out "Dakota where are ya?" Brian asked having lost him a couple minutes into their journey through the woods.

The shape of the little proxy formed in the fog before he was beside him once again, holding his hand now. "Will lead to safe place." Dakota whispered sounding confident in himself before he began walking through the fog with the young man. He managed to weave through the trees without bumping into any as they kept going deeper and deeper into the woods. It was a few miles in when Dakota went to an old cabin and opened the door to revile a small fire and another sleeping proxy lying on the rug near it looking very much like a cat.

The other woke up instantly; he looked over at the two and chirped at Dakota. He stood up quickly getting off his warm rug and quickly going to hug the other. "Dakota missed much. Are ok?" the other proxy asked looking Dakota over worriedly before hugging him again and purring softly then he saw the new comer and tilted his head to the side. "Who are?"

Brian looked a bit nervous unsure if the other person similar to Dakota was as kind as he was to normal people such as himself but he thought what the heck and smiled ever so slightly. "'M Brian. Who're ya?" as soon as he asked he smiled more at the purring from both Dakota and the other one who walked over and nuzzled Brian once.

"Am Tobi." He chirped before going over to Dakota again and holding his hand. "Am Dakota's little brother." Tobi walked with his brother to Brian again and took Brian's hand in his free one before leading them to the fire happily. He sat down making the others sit as well before lovingly resting his head on Dakota's stomach one Dakota had laid down, resting his head on Brian's lap. Tobi purred happily, happy to be with his brother and brother's new friend.

"So do ya 'ave any food 'ere?" Brian finally asked feeling hungry for something to snack on. Dakota looked at Tobi who slowly shook his head and looked down almost embarrassedly. Dakota looked up from Brian's lap to stare at Tobi blankly; Brian instantly began petting Dakota in case he was mad at the younger one for their lack of food troubles.

"Ate lot. Gave most to master though." Tobi admitted finally once he saw Dakota slowly calm down. Dakota nodded a little in understanding before nuzzling his masked face into Brian's hand while Brian looked confused. These two belonged to someone? Then why would other people have sold them in the circus without their master's permission? Or did he perhaps sell one without informing the other? He guessed that they were all possibilities but he might want to inform Dakota's master that he was back.

"'O's yer master? C'n I meet 'im?" Brian asked and instantly noticed the change in the proxies' behaviors when he asked that. They almost seemed frightened when he asked that like they were scared for his safety. Dakota shook his head before petting a hand through his human friend's hair once slowly, much like how he had done to calm him down.

"Not sure master would like. Are human." Dakota stated but that made Brian smile.

"Bu' yer human 'rn't ya?" Brian asked but when both of them were silent he gulped slightly, well they probably were told that they weren't all their lives because they were more animalistic then both but that didn't mean that they should believe it. "So I' 'e like ya guys?"

Dakota shook his head again and walked to a wall filled with charcoal drawings. One was a drawing of the forest they were in but there was what seemed to be a man in a tuxedo standing as tall as a tree without facial features. Dakota pointed at the strange tall man picture before looking at Brian. "Is master…maybe will like. Maybe will let work for too. Can help hunt."

Brian was just going to shake his head and laugh it off saying something along the lines as he was a street performer not a hunter when the fire went out leaving them in complete darkness for only a minute before the flame came back this time there were four people in the room instead of three. One was the tall man in the picture and he was leaning down slightly so that he wouldn't hit his head against the beams of the cabin. He didn't have any facial features but for some reason Brian felt as though it was looking at him; into his very soul in fact. Brian coughed violently a second before removing his hand and seeing red specks on his arm where he had coughed. His eyes widened when he realized what the red was but he said nothing about it; instead he looked back up at the being that had just arrived in the room with the rest of them. Static tickled his brain for a moment before he got the impression it was communicating with him. 'Friend or foe?' he thought he heard and he uttered the first option looking up at the other being.

The being then turned its attention to the young proxies that were huddled to a corner looking frightened behind their black and white masks. Dakota went silent before saying "Is good, helped Dakota escape. Think should let work for so can be with." Dakota replied quietly then curled up a little more in fear of getting slapped or something from the being after nothing happened Dakota slowly looked up at the other being and sighed with relief as he looked at Brian again.

'The proxies would like you to work with me so that you may see them would that be acceptable? Considering the only option besides that would be death I believe it to be a good choice.' It sent to Brian's brain in which instantly Brian looked a little scared before nodding a little in understanding before going over and hugging on the two proxies trying to get them to calm down. Their new master went to another room before coming back with what looked like a weird shirt that did not have buttons going down it and seemed to have a hood to keep the rain from getting him wet, while that was strange he found the next gift from it even stranger; the black cloth mask that had a red sewn face on it that made it appear to look sad. Brian looked at his new master before hesitantly trying it on. He felt a slight difference in himself; more confidence in getting things done but also the feeling of loyalty for his new master was so strong it was almost unbearable.

He looked up at his master and chirped softly before blinking at himself not sure how he made that sound but suddenly he felt excitement as his new master patted him gently with his pale hand before he walked towards the door. 'You're work begins first thing tomorrow.' And as soon as the door opened and he walked out he disappeared into the thick fog.


	3. Chapter 3

Brian woke up snuggling up in a small pile on the rug in the old cabin Dakota had led him to the night before. He looked down through the holes of his mask he had received, seeing Tobi curled below him, Brian's head had been resting on his back while Dakota did the same to Brian. Dakota nuzzled Brian in his sleep as he purred causing Brian to make the same sound for a moment. He blinked again not sure how he was making all these inhuman sounds but he shrugged it off thinking it was just a strange side effect from being around Dakota for the past day. He slowly nuzzled Dakota awake lovingly and smiled behind his mask at him.

"Mornin' Dakota." Brian said lovingly, forcing himself not to Aww at the little proxy as he yawned sleepily, rubbing at the eye holes in his mask as if trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes. He saw Brian and hugged him tightly to him, purring softly before moving his mask up slightly to lick his cheek once causing a red tint to appear on Brian's face.

Their morning was anything but normal; Dakota had started a fire before sitting on the kitchen counter quietly as he sharpened a pocket knife while watching Brian as he took the mask off getting some fresh air though something made him want it over his face again. For some reason the mask gave him a feeling of safety when he had it on then off for some strange reason. He forced himself to leave it on the couch for a while as he took a shower and looked around the house before he found a razor for him to shave with.

When he was finally clean and ready for the day he smiled and finally placed the mask back on once again feeling safe in his body though he really did dislike the loyalty he felt towards his new master. He sat down on an old stool in the kitchen near Dakota who was still sharpening his knife quietly before holding it out to Brian. "Will see if is sharp enough?"

Brian gently took the pocket knife once feeling the extreme sharpness under his thumb before handing it back and smiling though he knew Dakota couldn't see it but that was ok seeing as Brian was purring behind the mask. "I's more than sharp enough." Brian said lovingly as he slowly raised a hand to his friend's hair gently petting his hand through the soft brown hair before he was interrupted by Tobi's yelp from the living room. Dakota and Brian instantly got up worried it was someone from the circus having found them but instead they saw their master standing near the door and Tobi clearly startled with a small stuffed slendy doll that belonged to Dakota in his shaking clasped hands.

Dakota went over to Tobi who hugged onto his brother tightly before looking at his master blankly unsure what to do before he slowly gave his brother back the doll and looked down apologetically. "Am sorry. Didn't mean take just saw and wanted play with." Tobi said before looking up at the Slenderman who had his arms crossed looking down at the proxies almost like a disapproving father before he relaxed at the apology and patted Tobi's head gently then looking at Brian.

'Today's your first day hunting why not prove you're worth today?' It stated; something told Brian that what it had planned was not good and he would sooner or later regret agreeing to working with him, then again the only other option besides working for him was death so he guessed no matter what he would never fully regret taking the other option. Who in their right mind would?

"Wha' am I huntin'?" Brian asked looking a little nervous, he had never hunted animals before and the thought alone kind of made him feel sick. He liked them and never liked to think that things they ate were once animals that had roamed the forests and valleys but the Operators reply both shocked and alarmed the young man.

'Humans. The travelling circus to be exact, seeing as they won't be missed.' Operator replied watching him silently as Brian's jaw dropped open in shock. He looked at Dakota who was pretty beat up from the fight there when the others had sold him as well as a few lashes himself from the circus conductor before he had made Brian put Dakota up. For some reason he felt that they needed to die for hurting someone he cared for but he also felt it wasn't right.

"'B-buh their 'uman." Brian stated looking up at his master a second before that sense of loyalty came back and he felt bad for questioning his authority.

'But you humans have the right to kill everything else you see cross your path. I do not have the right to do the same?' Operator retorted before patting his newest proxy's hair softly making Brian purr ever so softly; the mask was already beginning to take over; how wonderful. Brian took a minute before nodding slightly in understanding before taking Dakota's hand lovingly and walking out the door towards their prey eagerly. Happy to please his master so that Brian may stay with his Dakota longer and possibly free him from Operator's ownership.

They walked to the clearing of the woods and stared as the circus mates slowly picked up everything and put things away, preparing to leave without Brian and their new attraction. The cast looked tired as though they had been searching for them all night with nothing worthy of telling the circus master. The forest had been so foggy it would have been impossible to track even if they had tried. Brian almost wished that they had taken longer getting back seeing as he was still a little hesitant on killing someone even if it was for his new master but what needed to be done needed to be done.

Brian looked at Dakota before pointing towards the mimes tent hoping to kill him off without the others knowing since he was mute anyways and then hopefully the ring master and the others quickly without much time in between to make them regret what they did.

Dakota went in the tent slowly sneaking up behind the man before slitting his throat then going to the next tent just one at a time doing it skillfully before looking at Brian who was behind him. Dakota let him go in front of him knowing full well that Operator wanted Brian to do most of the work here to prove his worth to him. Brian slowly went in front of Dakota and began crawling towards the next tent; grabbing the circus conductor and his wife who happened to be part of the freak show in their circus. She didn't seem to feel any physical pain. Most of her shows contained her stabbing her cheek or tongue to show just how much she couldn't feel. Brian didn't think that was important right now, in fact all he wanted to do was kill these two so he could take the bodies to master in hopes he would find him more than worth keeping.

The conductor's wife screamed as the two masked men snuck in the tent and Dakota instantly tackled her to the ground putting a knife to her throat threateningly so she would stop making that horrid sound. Brian had tackled the conductor and looked down at him with narrowed eyes behind his mask before raising his knife up and stabbing his heart. He watched quietly as the life slowly drained from the man he considered almost like a father to him before he turned to where Dakota was. Brian looked down at the sobbing woman underneath him before her kneeled beside the two and moved Dakota's hand so he would be able to get his knife on her throat. He paused, hesitating only a moment before slitting her throat; looking away from the blood as it bubbled out of her neck and poured slowly from her lips before the life slipped out of her.

Dakota finally let go of her to hug on Brian excitedly, nuzzling his masked face under Brian's lovingly before getting up and giving him his hand to help him up. Brian looked at all the bodies before picking the wife and the conductor so he could take them to master while Dakota grab the rest. He chirped once at Dakota who was purring softly as he grabbed a few of the bodies intending to come back to get the rest later before anyone else found the wagons and tents filled with dead humans.

They walked through the woods silently; Brian looked back every few minutes to make sure Dakota was ok as they kept walking. When they finally got to the cabin Dakota just set the bodies outside their door for the Operator to get, not wanting the smell of dead to fill their home. Brian went in the house after dumping the bodies there as well to take a second shower, this time to get the blood off him. When he came back Tobi wasn't in sight and Dakota was curled up into an old dusty couch contently. Brian walked over to him and picked him up slightly so he was lying on top of him before he began petting Dakota's hair lovingly. "Where'd Tobi go?"

"Went retrieve more bodies." Dakota said lovingly as he nuzzled up in the hand "Operator came by-saw bodies. Said Brian did good job." For some reason that filled Brian with pride for a moment and he happily hugged Dakota closer to his body excitedly. He knew that if the Operator said he did a good job that meant more than likely that he would get to stay with the young proxy.

The rest of the day Brian and Dakota just stayed in the house playing together and talking some of the time as well. Dakota had told him how he had first woken up in the forest with the mask on and how he couldn't take it off completely or he may die. Brian nodded in understanding before kissing the forehead of the cold mask and hugging him close near the fire. It would take a few hours to realize that Tobi hadn't come back home…


	4. Chapter 4

Tobi walked through the forest silently; his cold hands stuffed in his pockets trying to get his numb cold hands warm again. He looked around quietly making sure he was the only one around as he kept walking towards the circus. When he finally got to the clearing he looked around making sure there were no live humans around before crawling for an empty tent looking for something to play with for a while before he had to bring the bodies' home for his master.

He looked around before walking over a dead body hesitantly before going to a small chest on the far end of the tent. He opened it curiously before staring in wander as something shined, catching his eyes. He picked it up curiously, tilting his head slightly; it looked like a small ring with glass in the middle. Tobi slowly put it near his eye to inspected and let out a staticy giggle as his vision got blurry because of the glass. He finally stuffed his new play thing in his pocket and grabbed a small stuffed animal that looked like a bunny. He hugged it close before grabbing up a body and slinging it over his shoulder quickly. He didn't want to take his time with a smelly carcass on his back so the sooner he got home the better.

He turned to leave when he heard a horse carriage outside stop in front of the tent he was in causing Tobi to become alarmed, quickly dumping everything and hiding behind the chest quietly hoping the person who had stopped wouldn't come in. But alas Tobi never did have good luck and within a minute or two a young man with brown hair stepped in looking around the room quietly. He looked angry when he first walked in but upon seeing the bloody mess he looked horrified. He scanned the room quickly to see if there was anyone in the room in case he needed to defend himself.

When his eyes hit Tobi, Tobi let out a scared yelp and crawled away from the trunk fearfully, scared what the human would do to him but to his surprise the young man relaxed and got on a knee, putting his hand out gently like he was beckoning a scared animal. Tobi stared at him fearfully before relaxing as well and unsurely crawled towards him. When he was right in front of him Tobi gently put his hand on top of his as if unsure what he wanted before looking at the brown haired man. "W-who are?" Tobi asked still sounding a bit fearful.

"I'm Alex Kralie and who might you be little one?" Alex asked with a small smile and moved his hand to pet at Tobi's light brown hair causing the proxy to purr. Tobi closed his eyes contently and nuzzled into the hand suddenly realizing why his big brother enjoyed Brian petting him so much-it was so relaxing and calming. His master never did that for him.

"Am Tobi." Tobi replied after a moment and looked at the young man named Alex before slowly hugging on him much like how he had seen Dakota do to Brian. He thought it was the right thing to do but the tensing from the other man stated otherwise before Alex hesitantly hugged him back softly. "Don't want call Alex…will call ARK."

"ARK? But-what on earth for? Isn't Alex simple enough for you to say Tobi?" Alex retorted looking a little confused as Tobi kept hugging him, purring ever so slightly before Alex began to realize something "Are you the only one here? I'll take you home and care for you until someone else takes you in." He said thinking he had been the only survivor of the circus. Tobi nodded slightly before getting off Alex, not caring if his master got mad at him or not right now. All he wanted was to have a human who liked him as much as Brian liked Dakota and this Alex was the perfect person in Tobi's mind. Tobi held onto Alex's hand as Alex walked them to the carriage. He opened the carriage door for Tobi, smiling slightly as he got in before getting in himself and sitting down. He tapped his cane to the roof telling the driver to drive off leaving the circus quickly….Tobi's life would never be the same.


	5. Chapter 5

Dakota sat on Brian's lap, leaning his back against Brian's chest happily before turning his head to look at him. He purred softly as Brian wrapped his arms around him keeping him warm before looking out the window and realizing that it was snowing outside instead of raining; well that was a sure sign of winter but he didn't mind as long as he was in a warm room with someone who cared about him.

They sat there for a while before Dakota shot up nearly knocking Brian on his back before looking confused at Dakota as he made a fearful sound in the back of his throat. "Wha' is ih'?" Brian asked as Dakota started looking around the house. Brian slowly stood up as well following him around the whole house still not realizing anything was missing.

"Tobi didn't come home." Dakota squeaked "Is never gone this long." He sounded scared when he finished looking around every inch of the house and there was still no sign of the happy masked man before looking at Brian with his scared puppy dog eyes before running to Brian, hugging him tightly. Brian looked at him worriedly before hugging him back before grabbing his jacket again, grabbing Dakota's hand softly as he walked towards the door fully planning on going to look for him. Dakota instantly followed him trying to calm himself as they began walking passed trees once they were outside.

When they finally arrived to the deserted circus Brian went through the tents while Dakota searched the woods nearby. When Dakota found nothing a half hour later he walked over to Brian who had stopped near the entrance of the tent. Dakota looked hopeful, he jogged over thinking he found a clue to where his little brother was but he paused when he saw wheel tracks that passed right by the tent and two sets of foot prints leave the tent while only one pair had entered. Dakota looked at it before finally understanding and looking at Brian with wide eyes. "Need save Tobi. Might have gotten captured by humans." Dakota whined "What if is hurting Tobi now?" He whimpered softly in his throat causing Brian to frown behind his mask before getting up and walking over to Dakota, hugging him close to him to try to calm him down.

"We'll get 'im out." Brian said softly "'e'll be ok promise."

Xxx

Tobi walked into the nice mansion looking around in awe at all the nice furniture before looking back at the young man who was behind him. Alex was smiling softly at the young being he had saved before going into the living room with Tobi and starting a fire in the fireplace then facing towards Tobi. "Is staying with me alight with you? I would hate to make you feel you need to stay if you are not comfortable." Alex said walking over to Tobi and petting his dirty hair lovingly, smiling softly as Tobi purred, nuzzling into the hand lovingly.

"Am happy are staying here with ARK." Tobi said as he moved his head and instead grabbed his hand, leading him to the red satin couch. Tobi ran his hand on it feeling the nice material curiously, not having ever seen something so lovely and soft before in his life before he made Alex sit down. Tobi laid down beside Alex before resting his head on Alex's lap purring. He felt Alex tense slightly before relaxing again, petting a hand through Tobi's hair again.

"Are you tired? I can have a bed prepared for you as soon as you would like to retire for the night." Alex offered but Tobi shook his head, looking up at Alex from his lap before chirping at him causing Alex to chuckle and pat Tobi's head, Tobi instantly nuzzled up into the hand almost like an animal before Alex shifted a little, pulling Tobi up and resting Tobi's head on his chest so he could keep Tobi feeling safe and warm which made Tobi purr happily once again.

"Want sleep with Ark." Tobi replied after a few seconds causing Alex to blink a little before pulling Tobi away from him and shaking his head not ready just yet to let a stranger sleep in his bed with him no matter how much Tobi acted like a puppy. Tobi whimpered before looking down making Alex's heart break a little causing him to sigh.

"Fine you may sleep in my bed this once." Alex said sounding a little unsure until Tobi hugged him excitedly, chirping once again. Alex sat up, picking Tobi up in his arms bridal style as he took him up stairs into his room and setting him down on his nice blankets. Tobi purred, burrowing underneath the blankets contently rubbing his fingers together around the silk sheets curious as to what it was before crawling around the bed playfully trying to crawl around the whole bed without falling off the edge. He finally got to an edge and looked out from underneath the blankets before he smiled widely behind the mask at Alex laughing at him.

Alex had changed in some clothes to sleep in and had a small nightgown for the young proxy, handing it to Tobi who immediately started changing in front of Alex causing the brown haired man look away blushing slightly but once Tobi finished Alex looked back, crawling on the bed and under the covers before hugging Tobi close to his chest. Tobi immediately snuggled closer to Alex's chest and closed his eyes letting sleep take him.

Xxx

Dakota followed the tracks but immediately stopped at the entrance to the town, hiding behind Brian who looked a little concerned behind his mask. He turned, hugging onto Dakota making him calm down again. Dakota managed to calm down before looking at Brian and simply saying "Need tell Operator Tobi got taken so can help find."

Brian nodded in understanding, while he had just met their master he seemed almost like a strict father figure to Tobi and Dakota considering how he had reacted to Tobi taking Dakota's doll without permission. He would probably be a little concerned about his proxy's safety and help look so he guessed he didn't mind looking for him if it meant that Tobi and Dakota would be safe once again.

Dakota quickly grabbed Brian's hand and dragged him to the forest again. Once they were in the forest a few miles Dakota began running causing Brian to fear losing him in the fog again but he could see through the fog a bit better for some reason and he could keep track of Dakota even if he really couldn't see him. He had watched his movements and could predict where he was almost 98% of the time. He thought it was strange yet he just pushed it out of his mind too busy with worrying about Dakota's little brother.

It was a good 7 miles away from the cabin before Dakota stopped in front of a small even more run down home then their own. Dakota walked in cautiously before crawling to the bedroom, Brian followed and froze as he saw their master sitting on a bed petting Dakota's hair listening to him as he talked through his sobs. Operator nodded once Dakota explained he wanted Operator to help find him before he got up, being careful not to hit his head on the rafters once again before walking towards the door and disappearing before Brian's very eyes causing Brian to make a small surprised gasp before looking at the young proxy who was now by his side, hugging him trying to calm him down this time.

Xxx

Alex woke up a few hours later feeling eyes on him though no one was in their room but the little proxy who was sleeping soundly beside him. Alex smiled softly petting a hand through his hair before kissing the masked forehead staying there a few minutes since Tobi's little fingers were balled up in Alex's night clothes as he purred in his sleep.

"Tobi let go." Alex said softly, as soon as he said that Tobi's fingers unfurled from his clothes and pressed close to his sides keeping him warm and giving Alex the freedom to get out of bed without waking the little proxy. He put the slippers on his feet so that wouldn't be cold and placing a nice silk robe on himself before looking out of the window of their room seeing nothing but trees outside. Then his eyes widened when he saw it; a tall suited man standing under their window looking up at them with a featureless face, head tilted. Even that little movement intimidated Alex. He quickly closed the curtains before grabbing a candle stick and lighting it; going down stairs and looking around outside. The being was gone, Alex shrugged after a while thinking maybe it was the fact he was so tired was making him see things.

He finally walked back into the house and up the stairs, curling up under the blankets once again and holding Tobi close to him. Tobi uttered something in his sleep that made Alex smile a little and kiss his forehead once again lovingly "ARK." Tobi had said and for some reason that filled Alex with so much joy though he didn't know why at the time. He closed his eyes after a few minutes before falling into a deep sleep, not realizing the tall being was now standing in the corner of their room watching them silently…


	6. Chapter 6

Dakota stood awkwardly at the top of a bare hill, he sniffed the air cautiously as his eyes looked down passed the woods and towards the small town beneath him. Operator had told him his brother was there, staying with a human being, while that was something Dakota would have accepted Operator was more than a bit unhappy about it. They had one human staying with them already, one human to many by the beings standards. It wasn't just that but the fact that Tobi had ran away to stay with them knowing full well that Operator wouldn't have been happy to hear about the human. It was Dakota's job to get Tobi to come home; after all, it had been 2 months since he disappeared. Normally the young proxy would have come home by now, human or not, but instead he was practically living as a lap dog to a rich young man.

Dakota growled slightly at the thought of Tobi betraying him and leaving him alone, it wasn't something even Dakota would have done. When Brian had saved him Dakota had immediately taken them to their home hoping he would be allowed him to stay, he didn't even think of leaving the other proxy behind. It was honestly something that the proxy took personally which was odd; he hadn't really thought of himself much, not since he was given a body to play in.

Brian watched him silently as Dakota began slowly pacing back and forth, his eyes looking at the grass beneath their feet as they thought silently of what to do, what to say to get the proxy to come home. Normally he would just go to the house, grab his arm and that would get Tobi to immediately run home with him, but this would be different; this would be difficult. Tobi would want to stay with the human; he would want to continue living a good life where he didn't have to get his hands dirty; he was a child after all, a mask of 2 years old, not nearly as old as Dakota was. He would have chosen that life too if he was that young but now? Now he was old enough to know that that life was never for him, he was bound to a life of servitude, being with a family among faceless beings and masks. Brian had been his escape from that, something new; a face within the masked crowds, a smile amongst the faceless, the light in the dark. Brian was an escape that made him feel like he was more than a mask but a human being that loved and wanted a normal life. If he could he would run away like Tobi had, make a life for himself with Brian even if they did just want to be friends; he loved Brian more than he should. More than the Operator was comfortable with. He had attempted to mold Brian into something he was comfortable with during his stay with them; something that hadn't worked as quickly as Operator had wanted, something that Dakota was happy for.

"Dakota are ya 'onna get 'im?" Brian asked softly, as he watched the masked man quietly. Dakota growled softly, thinking it over a bit more. He had to get him, he had to get him soon or he would slip, he would be broken, and he may not ever be fixed. Finally he looked up a second and slowly shook his head, moving back towards the old cabin they inhabited together. Brian looked at the town a moment longer, a town where his parents once lived before turning and following after him. He held the old yellow coat that Operator had given him in his arms as he followed after them, it was the only good clothes that weren't reduced to rags after running through the forest with Dakota every day.

It had once been hard for Brian to run for long distances through the forest, he wouldn't get half a mile before losing his breath and having to call for Dakota to stop, but within the course of the months he could run for miles without stopping. He had never felt as free as he did when he was running through the forest with the other proxy, something that made him laugh excitedly as they ran together, practically one. Playing games such as hide and seek to help Dakota practice his skills at hiding and chasing. The snow had melted showing the muddy ground below that would be hard for one to scurry though but when they ran through it there was nothing, not even a sound except for their laughing in unison or the happy chirping Dakota did when he was excited. When they ran and played it felt like moments would last forever, that they would never die, that if they willed it a day could never end.

They ran with the other animals, Brian had once ran through a flock of deer as they bolted through the forest, Dakota had watched contently and followed after them excitedly, catching up with Brian, and curling their fingers with Brian's feeling as if they were one. It was something no human could say they ever did; something that was such a beautiful moment Brian wished that they could be that way forever, happy and free. His old memories of the circus, of the pain and fear of his old life slipped away like the dirt that were flung away by his feet as he ran contently.

This time was different though, he found himself having a hard time keeping up with the proxy as he jogged towards the cabin. The air seemed heavier for some reason, almost haunting, but Brian ignored it the best he could and kept after his friend. Normally even when Dakota threw a temper tantrum he would walk a few yards from Brian before turning and making sure he wasn't far behind before going back to him slowly and walking with him almost like a fawn would do towards a mother deer. They were inseparable until today, Dakota didn't stop and wait, his mind was on something else entirely as he opened the door and walked into his and Brian's room. An old bed covered in dust was waiting for their tired body as Dakota walked in and looked around as if looking for something. He stopped a moment and went to the bed as Brian walked in and stared at him blankly, smiling a bit as Dakota pouted and turned on his side, looking away from Brian as he entered the room. Brian slowly walked into the room and rested near him on the bed grabbing up the slender man doll up from the floor and waved it in front of Dakota playfully.

Dakota looked up at it a second as if thinking if he wanted to play or not before his hand slowly swatted at the doll, his fingertips hitting the soft material of the leg causing It to swing slightly. He sighed a second and slowly turned so he was chest to chest with Brian, his eyes behind the mask slowly looked up at his face in silence before his fingers gently traced Brian's face slowly, taking it all in before moving his hand away and grabbing the small doll in his hand and hugging it close. He had loved that thing for years, when Tobi had been made Tobi had always wanted it, going as far as stealing it when Dakota wasn't looking to hold onto it and nuzzle into the soft fabric before batting at it on the floor until Dakota saw them and gently tackled him into submission. He had been planning on making one exactly like it for his little brother for Christmas but now he had been worried that it wouldn't be possible.

"Why don' ya get 'im?" Brian asked softly as Dakota clung to the doll in silence before sighing.

"Have to just- think is in love- Dakota understand how feels and would feel bad if took away now." He managed "Am giving him time."

Brian nodded slightly and hugged him closely, watching the proxy squeeze the stuffed animal silently before relaxing in Brian's arms as he attempted to fall asleep. Brian looked at the wall silently thinking about it, maybe it was best if they gave Tobi time with the human, let him see how some of them were. Maybe if things went well Alex would eventually let him go or come with him and stay with the small group in the cabin. If that didn't work Brian feared the worst for them, after all Operator wasn't one who was willing to give up his processions easily.

The night was calm and chilled, the cracks in the window let the cold air in causing Brian to wake up a few hours later. Brian slowly moved the covers off of him and got up to his feet. He went to the kitchen and grabbed the kettle, hanging it over the fireplace to start some water boiling as he attempted to wake up the best he could. He heard the house around the creak silently as the wind pushed against the wood and through the little cracks it could get into. He sat on the worn rug and rubbed his eyes as he stared at the fire silently, his mind blanked a moment before he turned and saw Operator standing in the kitchen silently. Brian tensed a moment as it walked slowly out of the kitchen and towards the couch, sitting on it near Brian. A pale boney hand gently went to Brian's hair and he stroked his head in silence as Brian sat there waiting for the water to boil. Brian closed his eyes and purred softly as the hand gently scratched at his skull contently like a master petting a dog as a reward but it stopped almost as soon as it had started. It got up and looked at Brian, giving him orders before disappearing. Brian stared silently a moment before hearing the door of the bedroom creak open, the sound of cloth sliding on the wooden floor and soft footsteps came closer before the masked face of Dakota peeked out and noticed Brian sitting there.

"Thought left..." he whispered causing Brian to snap out of his trance and quickly bolt to the fire and pull the now boiling kettle out of the flames reach, he forced a smile on his face and looked at Dakota.

"I wouldn' leave ya Dakota." Brian stated as he got up and grabbed two chipped cups from the kitchen and poured the water in it, putting tea bags in both and waiting for it to cook. He handed the steaming cup to Dakota who stared at the cup a moment before moving his mask slightly and began licking the contents out of the cup and into his mouth before flinching as it burnt his tongue. He slowly set the cup down to wait for it to cool down and stared at Brian a moment.

"Operator was here wasn't? What wanted?" he asked after a moment when Brian said nothing more and was sipping his tea. Brian didn't even look up when he was asked that, his eyes stared at the fire a moment longer as he thought the command over. "Was about Tobi?" Dakota asked sounding like he needed to know about what the command was; he wanted to make sure Operator didn't give up on the proxy, that he wasn't asking for them to kill him. Brian just shook his head a bit before looking at them giving them a small sympathetic smile.

"Don' worry 'bout I' love. I's not'in' to worry 'bout, cross m' heart."

Dakota gently put a finger to Brian's chest and traced a small cross lovingly before nodding; he knew Brian wouldn't lie to him. Tobi would be ok, they would be a family again soon and everything would be back to normal, he just knew it. No one could tell the mask any different. Dakota gently put a hand to Brian's cheek a second, feeling the warmth under his fingertips before pressing his masked lips to his forehead and purred. "Trusts you."


	7. Chapter 7 Part 1

Two months before

Tobi sniffed the air curiously as he watched the birds outside the window chirping in the tree tops happily before flittering into the snow and eating the bread crumbs that Alex had left out for them. Alex was sitting outside wearing an old army uniform, a scarf over his neck and face to keep him warm as he watched the birds contently. His eyes were smiling, something Tobi rarely saw in anyone or thing, such happiness he hoped he would one day gain. He purred as he watched them before slowly turning and heading to the old pile of clothes he wore the day before, after all he couldn't wear the nice clothes that Alex had let him borrow the night before. The rags were something he had woken up in the day he first woke up, they were a part of him he assumed so getting rid of them were out of the question at the moment.

He put his shirt and pants on before slowly making his way down the hall towards the stairs silently, not wanting to catch the attention of the strangers in the house who were cleaning. He heard something barking at him excitedly as it bounded towards him, it looked kind of like the animals he had seen in the forest but a lot smaller and not so mean looking. He chirped at it as it came to his side and tried to jump on him, its tail wagging as its tongue hung out of the side of its mouth contently. It licked Tobi's hand causing the proxy to jump a bit in surprise before purring and cautiously petting the animal jumping against him nearly making him lose his balance multiple times before the door from the outside opened reveling Alex. He stomped the snow from the bottom of his shoes before noticing his dog was jumping against his guest. "Rocky, down boy, you mustn't terrorize the guest." Rocky stopped immediately and bounded happily to Alex yapping contently as the young man patted his head before smiling at Tobi "Hello, Tobi, are you hungry?"

Tobi nodded contently and scurried after him into the kitchen like a puppy happy to be in the company of his master. The kitchen was bright with candles and the morning light shining through the windows. The butlers were working away cleaning the dining area and kitchen as they cooked breakfast for the two. Alex peeked into some of the pans that were cooking before letting Tobi see; bacon and eggs were cooking, the smells were causing Tobi's stomach to grumble anxiously as he stared curiously at the foods before he felt Alex's hand gently in his pulling him to another container. He grabbed a cup and poured it with a strange brown liquid and handed it to Tobi. "Try it Tobi, I'm sure you will enjoy it."

Tobi looked down at the liquid nervously a moment before slowly using his free hand to gently move the mask past his lips and took a sip. It had a sweet taste that Tobi had never experienced before, something that he found himself craving and he took a longer sip contently, smiling happily as he heard Alex chuckling a bit. "I thought you would like it- it's called hot chocolate. When I had my first cup of it I was addicted to it for nearly a month before I weaned myself off of it." He patted Tobi's head lovingly before leading him back into the dining room and sitting him down.

Soon their food was brought out to them on large plates, Alex dug in immediately as he watched Tobi silently. Tobi was staring at his food in silence through the holes of his mask trying to figure out how he would see it while he ate before looking at Alex curiously. "Don't look at Tobi's face kay…?" Alex looked at them curiously a moment before nodding slightly and looking down at his own food to let Tobi feel more comfortable. Tobi slowly moved and moved the mask to the side of his face and began to dig in contently. Alex peeked up at them; Tobi didn't look as strange as he thought he would without the mask on. His eyes were glazed over as if he was blind though he obviously wasn't considering he didn't act blind at all. His face was a bit scratched up but other than that he looked normal, his wide eyes gave off a more innocent look than he would experience on anyone he knew. He looked down before he Tobi could notice him looking at them and went back to eating. Tobi finished quickly and put the mask over his face again and chirped contently. "Can look again!" he stated happily and Alex looked up at the masked face, he smiled slightly before getting up to his face.

"We should get you new clothes and maybe toys. How does that sound?"

Tobi looked at him excitedly and nodded before following after him, hoping in the carriage and away they went. It was the best experience Tobi remembered ever having, something he wished would never end and for the few hours he completely forgot about the cabin waiting for him to return, he was with someone who accepted him regardless of the mask he was forced to wear, he was still a person that Alex trusted and seemed to love.

The first month past; they began to get used to each other's quirks and differences quickly, Alex let him play in the backyard with Rocky while he did chores. They sat in the living room every night as Alex read him stories of distant lands and wonderful worlds that Tobi always had the best times trying to imagine before he would drift off into a deep sleep. Things went perfect even when Alex saw the strange faceless thing every couple weeks watching them, they would quickly forget about it when he saw Tobi waiting for him.

There had been a night when Alex found himself wanting Tobi to showing him his face, show him who he was instead of the mask. He paced the living room as he waited for Tobi to bound the stairs happily and sit on the couch for him to read him the story Alex picked out that night. When Tobi bound down the steps he carried the stuffed bear Alex found him with and chirped before sitting on the couch waiting for Alex to sit down so he could lay on him as he read. "Tobi can I ask you a favor?"

"Anything ARK wants..."

"May I see your face?" Alex found himself asking almost immediately catching the proxy off guard a moment before slowly hiding their masked face in their hands shyly. He silently shook his head as his fingers dug into the plastic like substance before slowly peeking out between the fingers to see a slightly sad looking Alex moping around the living room, staring at him still. Tobi felt a bit bad for saying no, he traced the edge of his mask a second before slowly deciding to do it, to show his human what the human looked like underneath. He moved his fingers under the plastic and moved the mask to the side. He blinked a couple times as his eyes glazed over in front of Alex as he watched him in silence.

"Isn't really Tobi's face; Tobi mask-; human self-died long time ago…ARK still want keep Tobi…?" he asked softly, looking down when Alex said nothing. Alex walked a bit closer to him, moving a finger under his chin so they looked eye to eye before Alex leaned in and kissed him gently. It was a strange feeling to the proxy, something he never experienced before but he knew one thing for sure, he liked it a lot. He found himself kissing back contently and purring into the kiss. His fingers clung to the young man as Alex wrapped his arms around them before slowly moving away, breaking the kiss.

"Of course I want to keep you Tobi. I love you after all." He smiled happily as Tobi looked up at him half lidded before nodding. With that Alex grabbed a book and sat next to Tobi, letting him lay against him while he read aloud to him. His free hand ran through Tobi's soft hair as he clung to his stuffed animal as he imagined being in the world Alex was reading about. Him being the princess while Alex was the dashing prince that saved him from the evil queen or the evil step mother; they would live happily ever after in the big castle instead of the rickety cabin in the woods.

His hand gently felt the soft couch surface under his fingertips, this was the home he belonged in instead of the rooms with the dusty broken furniture, the ruined carpet that was fading and ruined in some areas, and the rooms that smelled musky and of mold that made it hard to breath. He missed Dakota but the pain of leaving him was dulled when he saw the brown haired man who read him books, who loved him for what he was instead of what he was told to love him for. Alex looked down at him curiously, pausing a moment from his reason as Tobi got on all fours and stretched a couple inches off his lap before kissing his cheek once and nuzzling him before laying down again and purring. Alex chuckled a bit and patted his head before he continued to read to him.

The fire roared softly in the background as Alex's soft voice lulled him to sleep, his purring turned into soft breathing as Alex finished the book and placed it on the bookshelf in the living room and rubbing his eyes tiredly. Alex yawned a bit himself and moved Tobi gently; Tobi woke up enough to wrap his arms around Alex's neck as he attempted to pick him up to take him to their room. Alex smiled as he began to carry him to bed. Placing him in the silk sheets and laid beside him. He sat there for a moment happily watching Tobi sleeping contently beside him, feeling the heart under the flesh before he leaned over him and blew the candle excited for the days ahead.


	8. chapter 7 part 2

Tobi woke up before the sun began to rise; he looked down at the young man lying beside him and smiled slightly behind the mask. Tobi leaned down and gently nuzzled Alex's warm cheek making the human smile slightly in his sleep before turning on his side and relaxing into a deeper sleep. There was a moment of silence as Tobi got up to his feet and grabbed a candle, lighting a match like Alex had taught him, and slowly walked into the cold hallway.

He stared at the pictures that lined the walls as he passed them. He always liked them during the mornings when the sunlight lit the house but when it was dark there was something a bit scary about them. It had taken a while of Alex reminding them that the pictures were moments stuck in time by paint and beautiful frames, that none of them were truly real. But Tobi had an active imagination, most of the time when walking alone he would swear he saw the eyes within the pictures move and follow his frame as he walked along alone. The only one he really liked was the large picture of Alex in an army uniform. The frame was painted gold, hanging gently against the lovely light blue wallpaper that Tobi liked so much. He always thought of it as something that kept him just as safe as the real Alex did.

The little flame flickered slightly as Tobi opened a door to the kitchen and looked around curiously trying to find where the hot chocolate was hiding from him. Alex had only allowed him to drink that sort of thing in the mornings and once at night before bed. But Alex wouldn't know he took some without permission if he was sneaky right? A window had strangely been left open causing Tobi to tilt his head to the side curiously, he assumed that the staff always made sure that everything was closed and secure before leaving for the night. He shrugged and walked to the window, setting the candle down on the counter before he began to pull the window down. It squeaked loudly in protest, moving only an inch or two. The wind picked up, causing a draft through the open space to blow the small flame out leaving Tobi in pure darkness. He whimpered slightly, he always did hate the dark but he didn't want his master to wake up and the house to be freezing cold. Tobi counted to 3 silently before finally pushing hard enough down that the window closed with a loud slam that seemed to vibrate the walls and counter he was leaning against.

He silently began to dig around the drawers in the kitchen hoping to find the matches that were hidden behind the silverware. He finally found it and chirped triumphantly before he striked it against the sandpaper located against the pack of the small packet. The time flame danced a crossed the match as it ate away. Tobi paused a second, watching it only a moment before putting the match against the wick and watched one flame slowly become two. He moved the match quickly back and forth causing the flame to extinguish leaving a faint gray trail of smoke behind. He moved around the kitchen still looking for the hot chocolate only to sadly find himself still quiet empty handed.

He waited only a moment before heading back towards the stairs quickly when he heard the front door unlock; the staff were heading to work to make breakfast Alex would wake up to. Tobi watched them through the rail of the stairs on the top of the floor, head tilted as they all spoke cheerfully about their night. Some spoke of spending it in a pub while the others spoke of being with someone called 'the missus.' which Alex had explained was a term for a human's female mate. The group of staff members went immediately to the kitchen and began their work planning what the meal would be for Alex and Tobi.

Tobi paused a second before slowly sneaking down the steps again and pressed his ear against the cold wooden door hoping to hear what they were planning for the day. Since he had realized that human food considered of more than one type of meal and tastes he was hopeful to try more things. Recently he had tried Tomato soup and realized he didn't like it near as much as something like turkey and stuffing. Everything was wonderful to the proxy; after all he didn't need to eat so he hadn't for years so any sort of food was wonderful and strange. He heard the word stuffing for dinner and squeaked happily. Rocky, who had been sleeping in the living room, heard his friend awake and slowly padded over to them. Its pink tongue hung out as it gave Tobi its best puppy dog grin.

The young proxy paused a moment before he began to pet the dog's soft fur contently and continued to listen to what they were saying. Breakfast was something called Pancakes, Lunch was sandwiches, and dinner was stuffing and corn. Tobi felt himself become happy as they continued to listen in; they were serving most of his favorites so he couldn't stop himself when he began to purr against the door. The staff began their work and soon Tobi found himself bored. Rocky yapped at him before it ran to the living room. Tobi tilted his head a bit before he saw the dog come back with a ball hanging out of their mouth, they let it drop in front of Tobi's feet before looking up at him expectantly. Tobi knew this game, Alex had actually played fetch with Tobi a time of two so he knew the basics but Tobi was the one who normally chased after the ball. He slowly took the ball, looked at it a moment, before he threw it towards the living room in which it once came from. The dog took off, yapping excitedly before it grabbed the ball, and came back.

Tobi giggled softly at the dog before hearing Alex come down the steps, he rubbed his eyes tiredly before they noticed Tobi standing near the kitchen with Rocky by their side. The dog yapped a couple times trying to get Tobi's attention again before they used their muzzle to move the ball closer to the proxy. Tobi on the other hand watched Alex a second; his pajamas were a bit big on them, the shoulder of his pjs slipped down his arm a bit showing some slight skin of his shoulder. Alex had always told Tobi it's best to wear something at night a bit bigger than they normally would because it was a lot more comfortable to sleep in, something that Tobi had immediately noted. Alex's short brown hair was sticking up at odd angles from sleep. He looked at the proxy with a smiled and walked to their side, moving the mask a bit to kiss them lovingly.

Alex's lips was sweet, it reminded Tobi a bit of honey. Tobi closed his eyes as he savored the soft, loving, kiss before they parted once again and Alex looked at them with only love filled eyes. "Good morning dear." He said softly as they moved the mask back into place. Tobi stared at them lovingly, clinging to their pajama shirt.

"Morning, ARK." He said softly as they pressed their cold plastic mask to his cheek as if to kiss them loving. Alex took their hand gently before whispering soft loving words in his ear. Alex had started that almost immediately after they had realized that Tobi liked the French language, he sometimes read to Tobi in French even though Tobi didn't understand them they found they loved it all the more. Tobi giggled softly at the loving phrases that had been whispered in his ear before he gently squeezed Alex's hand. "Tobi loves ark too." He stated softly before he began to tug them towards the kitchen door excitedly.

The air smelled of fresh pancakes that had just been taken off of the stove, the smell of hot chocolate had mixed with it making Tobi's stomach rumble hungrily. Alex chuckled slightly before grabbing a cup and filling it with the dark, sweet liquid before handing it to the other man. Tobi moved his mask to the side and took a couple sips contently before he nuzzled under Alex's chin lovingly. Alex waited for him to finish his cup before they walked to the dining room and waited to be served, Tobi looking outside the window a moment as the sun came out, and birds' began to sing their morning song.

Later that day Alex sat down with Tobi, teaching him basic counting and his ABCs with a small smile on his face. Tobi had been uneducated to keep his mind new and from questioning the Operator's will. It was definitely exciting to the young proxy to learn to read and write. He wrote his first letter to Alex, it had only been a week ago since it had happened but it was something that Alex treasured. He kept the small card on his beds stand wanting it to be the first thing he saw in the morning when he woke up. It had always made his mornings good. Now Tobi was to write 1 to 50 without error and so far Alex was staring at them proudly as they slowly made their way to the number. It hadn't taken nearly as long for Tobi to learn things like normal children would have due to Alex's way of getting him to want to learn. The reward for every activity completed education wise was a cup of hot chocolate. Something Tobi found himself craving constantly.

Their lives were perfect, absolutely wonderful and Alex couldn't wait for more days like this.

Xxx

A month went by; the snow began to melt bringing on the warm, inviting spring. The grass grew, flowers budded, and baby animals ran around the yard. Tobi stared outside the window contently while Alex sat down in their study reading to them in French. Tobi repeated some of the words softly; he had begged Alex to teach him some French so he could sound as pretty as Alex did. When Tobi had said that Alex remembered that he had blushed slightly before chuckling, ruffling Tobi's hair gently, and finally he agreed to teach him the basics. Now Tobi knew how to speak around 20 words in French after only a week or being taught. Alex watched in amusement as Tobi got up and said softly "Je m'ennuie, permet de jouer au go." Before he grabbed Alex's black silk sleeve and tried to get him up to take him outside so he could play with Alex.

"I'm sorry you're bored, I assumed you wanted to learn more French today." He stated playfully, Tobi paused a second before nodding a bit. He loved to learn it but at times like this he would rather be outside playing with Alex then stuck in a room doing nothing. Rocky heard the door open and yapped contently before they chased after their owner's feet happily. Tobi watched in amusement before he picked the dog up in his arms and walked him out to the back yard with them. They plaid until that night and ate before heading to bed contently together. Alex had Tobi say his prayers before tucking them into bed then going on their own side and getting in. He loved holding Tobi close to them, their hearts beating as one as they both fell asleep in each other's arms.

The next morning Tobi woke up to the soft sound of what to him was Rocky scratching against the floor outside their door. He slowly put his feet on the cold floor and opened the door slightly letting the dog scurry in, their tail tucked between their legs in fear. Tobi tilted their head in confusion as the dog hid under the bed instead of hopping up on the bed like it normally would do when let in. The dogs let out a little whine and whimper as Tobi peeked out into the dark hallway. If there was something or someone in the house Tobi needed to get it out of the house so Alex wouldn't get hurt.

They slowly got on all fours, something Alex always laughed at considering Tobi appeared to look like they were trying to imitate a cat but never quite got it right. He was in a human body after all and as such their body was not made to be on fours. They decided to attempt to find their way in the dark instead of using a candle, not wanting to possibly alert the intruder that they knew they were there. He paused as he passed some open rooms; he looked around for any sign of movement before continuing on. He had been a proxy, taught to fight and hunt. Finding an intruder and getting rid of them would be easy enough it was just finding them and catching them off guard before they ended up being the one attacked.

He crawled down the stairs and halfway down him heard creaking above him. They whipped around to see the Operator standing a ways up the stairs watching them silently. Tobi normally would have chirped a greeting to their master and run to them, wrapping their arms around them happily but now he knew why they were here and Tobi growled lowly in their throat. He wanted to stay with Alex from now on; he didn't want to have to leave him behind. He lowered his head in a threatening manner as he stared up at Operator before crawling towards them quickly hoping to intimidate but it instead got him a slap in the mask by a powerful tentacle making Tobi fall hard against a wall. His head hit making a loud cracking sound before he sank to the floor painfully. Tobi whimpered softly as he was picked up by a tentacle and his old master began to walk again heading towards the front door, back to the cabin in the woods he once lived in. Tobi made soft panicked sounds hoping that Alex would hear and come to their rescue. Operator paused only a second, letting Tobi go before his hands went to the mask making Tobi strain to look up at Operator's featureless face. They stared at them before pain began to fill his senses and he screamed painfully. Blood ran out of his nose, mouth, and eyes slowly behind the mask before the mask was ripped off and Tobi's body fell to the ground limply.

Tobi bolted upright and yelped loudly before they realized it had all been a dream, that Alex was beside him and Tobi still inhabited the human body. He relaxed softly as Alex's hand moved around their back trying to comfort them a bit but he felt his chest making odd movement causing Alex to shush him and hold him close, telling them everything was alright, that it had been all a terrible dream. Tobi clung to him and panicked as he felt liquid slowly staining his cheeks as Alex held them, rocking them back and forth trying to calm them the best he could before slowly letting go and looking them in the eyes softly. "Do you want to talk about it dear?" Alex asked softly, Tobi shook his head violently before clinging to him, his body shaking as he attempted to forget the dream. He didn't want to go back to the cabin. He missed Dakota but he didn't want to go back and live that life again. He just clung to Alex silently, letting Alex whisper loving, comforting phrases to him again as he attempted to get Tobi sleeping again.

Once Tobi was asleep again Alex got up looking out the window, he noticed the faceless being watching them under a tree. Alex closed his eyes a moment, counting to 10 before he opened them again and just like the other times the being was gone. Alex smiled slightly to himself before heading back to bed with Tobi and holding their sleeping yet still shaking body close to their own. "I love you." Alex whispered softly to the sleeping figure once before falling asleep again.


	9. Chapter 8

Dakota had never really had the honor of dreaming often. He remembered a couple times waking up after getting them but always ended up without any memory as to what it was or even meant. He had always been jealous of Tobi for their ability to get it when the oldest mask was unable to. He remembered there would be times Tobi would lay on the couch, holding Dakota's old slender man doll, and talking to it in an excited childlike manor about the dreams he had the night before. They were all sorts of things from playing in the woods to finding more masked people to play with and enjoy their company. Dakota used to listen to the dreams from another room in silence, his mind attempting to imagine what Tobi's mind had somehow managed to conjure up without difficulty in their sleep. But no matter how hard the older proxy tried to imagine it, it became faded and fogged over like an old film that had been faded due to age.

But he also had moments where he was glad and thankful that their master hadn't given them that ability. After all if Operator had wanted to he could appear in dreams, show them something that they could do as punishment, and bring fear to others without actually being near them at the time. Dakota had stared at the Operator as it appeared to be in deep thought, attempting to link its mind with the young proxy that hid in the town below the forest. It had hoped that it would scare Tobi into coming home, at least that was the plan for them. After a few moments the being relaxed as Brian and Dakota stared at it curiously before it began to move again.

As soon as the dream was broken Operator disappeared without so much as a word to Dakota and Brian about how it went. Dakota fidgeted a bit nervously before he stepped out into the cold night. Brian paused a moment before slowly he opened the door and attempted to follow after him. The proxy was tensed as they walked through the trees. The fog becoming more and more dense the more steps they took as if to hide them from something else. Brian wanted to call out to him, to ask him what was wrong but for some odd reason he had found it more and more difficult to speak. Not that it was something he was unable to do anymore, he had just found it a waste of time as well as the fact that lately his voice had almost become a soft whisper whenever he did state something. He had realized some time before that it had something to do with wearing the hood and mask he had been given.

Actually, Dakota had been the one who had figured it out. He had gone as far and tugging it off of Brian when he had first realized that something was going on with the mask. That much like Tim and Jay the mask would most likely take over the human host. Dakota had taken the hood and burned it in the old fireplace regardless of the fighting Brian gave him when attempting to save the hood and mask from the flames slowly eating the fine material away. The next morning he had woken up to a new hood and a mask waiting for him and Dakota had woken up to a punishment that left him with broken bones and bruises that had slowly healed over time. Brian had promised Dakota after that that he would only wear the mask during emergencies. He felt he had kept to that well, the mask called him constantly, telling him that he needed to wear it, that it would make him feel better. He hated the fact he caved so easily to it, to the need to be comforted by the cloth but it had become an addiction.

Thankfully a week ago Dakota hid it somewhere in the house that Brian had yet to find. He had actually realized that the longer he was without the mask the more he began to act more like himself again. He had begun to talk slightly again, he didn't feel the need to sneak around, and he didn't have a need to go after Tobi and attack the human who took them away. But the same could not be said for Dakota who seemed to get more and more agitated the longer he was away from his little brother.

Brian gently put a hand on Dakota's shoulder and immediately as their skin touched skin both relaxed. They were meant to be together, it had to have been fate that brought them together when Brian worked in the circus. He honestly couldn't see how it couldn't have been. Dakota stopped a moment; he didn't look at Brian as they stood there in silence for a moment before the proxy sighed. "Scared…" Dakota managed to whisper after a moment "Don't know if doing the right thing."

"Have a bi' o' time before ya have ta do I' right?" Brian asked softly, the walked to the home was going to take some time. If Tobi did not cross their paths by the time they got to the home they would have to punish him accordingly; it was their master's will. It hadn't just been as punishment in Dakota's eyes, it was saving Tobi too. After all the human was keeping the brother away from their family and the only way they knew how to survive, how was that a good thing?

"Are right…" Dakota managed before he straightened up a little and began his journey towards the town with his own human.


End file.
